Method of and apparatus for the hydrodynamic separation of particles



June 26, 1923.

T. NAGEL METHOD 0F ANDAPPARATUS FOR THE HYDRODYNAMIC' SEPARATION 0F PARTICLES Filed March 4. 1922 Patented lune 22h, i923.

THEODSE NAGEL, Oli' BEGKLY'N, NEVI YGRK.

METHOD F AND APPARATUS T-E EIYDRODYNAMKC SEPAEATON OF rDl/fili@ICLES.

Applicatienilcd March pli, 1922. Serial No. 540,958. i

` T0 JZ lwim-m t may concern.' by providing' suitable apparatus to eiect the Be it known that l, Timonium l`iirioei.,.a desired separation oit the particles by causcitizen oit thellnited States, and a resident orpermittingj the faster moi-Jing particles of the borough ot' Brooklyn, county et to pass upwardly andovertloiv with the up- 6.0 Kings, and city and` State olf New York', vardly moving` liquid body While the slower have invented certain uen' and usctul .immoving particlem'due to the horizontal comprovements in .li/lethods oit and Apparatus ponent oil velocity imparted tothem by the tor the l'lydrodynamic Separation oi" )arg upufziirdly moving' liquid, pass out ot the ticles, ot which the following is a sp ucatreating chamber and into what l shall heretion. inatter' term a settling,` chamber adjacent lily invention is directed to an improved thereto. y y y method of and apparatus for eilecting' the ln my prior application above referred to hydrodynamic separation of some olf the par` the mixture of particles to be treated, toticles from a minture oi particles and is ,Seether with the liquid employed in effecting 15 adapted for use in connection `with the sepa the separation, ive 1e ied into and upwardly ration of particles oi different sizes or `ot throuoh a treating chamber simultaneously different specific gravities or ot dilierent through a quiescent liquid body, ln the specific gravities and sizes. present invention, however, l iind it expedi- This invention is an improvement on the ent project the liquid- Water for exam- 2o invention of my prior application Serial llo. ple-iuuvaroly and into the treating cham- 513236 liled November T, 192i, on an imber separate y from the mirture oli particles proved method of and apparatus tor the hy-y tobe treated which l here introduce 'into drodynamic separation ot particles in `which the .treating` chamber and into the upwardly application lhave 'fully explainedthetheory moving; liquid at an angle to the direction 80 2e on which that invention and the present one of motion oit the up uf'ardly moving; liquid.

are based. V Sherrill he seen Yfrom the detailed descripln the speciiic illustration ot an application oi invention the uijhvardv velocity of tion ot my improved method to be hereinthe inoif'ing;` liquid body to be so controlled after described l will ro'lcr to the separation or regulated as to carry some oil: rthe particles S5 an ot' coal `trom free-ash contained in the water upwardly and oil `with the upwardly movingr from a coal ivashery and Water Will be re liquid body While causing the other particles terred to as the liquid medium employed in or he mii-ture to move across, through and the practice ot my improved :method but it is out ot the upwardly movingJ liquid body and to be understood that this is by ivay ot illus at an angle thereto. D0

35 tration only inasmuch as other liquids than lt will be seen also that due to the fact Water may be employed and solids other that the upwardly movingv liquid body is than coal and 'free-ash may be separated movingv in a direction inclined from the vcrwith equal facility. ticalV and due to themanner in which the AS I hay@ pointed out 'm my lvl-@mous ap mixture to be treated is introduced into this 95 lo plication above referred to, a liquid body upwardlymovingliquidbody,all ot the parmoving' upwardly in a direction inclined ticles will be caused to travel in a direction from the vertical has a vertical and a horiinclined 'from the vertical due to the horizontal component oi velocity or .flow and zontalcomponent ot the torce imparted by if a. particle or a. mixture ot particles be the upwardly moving: liquid which as Iinst a5 projected into such an. upwardly moving; pointed out is inclined 'from the vertical.`

liquid body this upwardly moving; liquid v .lfn the accompanying drawing l have ilbody Will impart to such particles verlustrated in sectional elevation an apparatus tical component and a horizontal component suitable tor the practice oi myimproved olf velocity with the result that it the veloc.A method. A eo` ity ot 'flow and direction ot motion ot all ot rl`his apparatus comprises a tank l divided the particles oit the mixture at the outset is substantially vertically into two chambers, substantially the same, the vertical compoH a settlingr chamber 2 anda treating chamber nent ot the velocity ot flow ot the lighter 3l, by means of a'partition l slightly inclined particles becomes greater than the vertical from the vertical, the area ,of the chamber 3 110 es component oit the velocity of tlorv of the gradually increasing 'from bottom to top. heavier particles. lt is possible, therefore, This partition is provided with openings 5 for establishing communication at all times between' the treating'chamber and the settling chamber and for permitting the discharge of material vfrom the treating chamber into the settling chamber as will be pointed out hereinafter. The top of the tank is provided with overflow 6 which is in communication only with the treating chamber 3. The bottom of the tank 1 is preferably inclined as indicated at 7 and is provided near the bottom with a discharge opening 8 controlled by a gate 9 so that material settling in the chamber 2 may be removed.

Extend-ing into the treating chamber 3 is a device designated 10, the wall 11 thereof being spaced-from the partition i and if y desired extending` parallel therewith. The

device 10 is provided with a feed channel 12 in communication with a feed chute or hopper 13 at the top of the tank 1, the lower end ofthe feed channel opening, into the treating chamber at the side thereof as inf dicated at 14. This feed channel is provided for the. purpose of introducing material to be treated into the treating chamber 2,v passage of material from the chute or hopper 13 to this feed channel being controlled by a gate 15.

The device 10 is also provided with a liquid supply channel 16 for supplying water or other liquid to the treating chamber and for forcing' this liquid upwardly through the treating chamber and between the` wall 11 of the device'lO and the partition 4. 17 is a water connection to the settlingy chamber 2 for replenishing therein the wat-er drawn olf with the settled material. y

It will be seen from the drawing that the channel 16 is so arranged with respect to the partition 4 that the water or other liquid employed is projected upwardly through thetreating chamber 3 from a point adjacent the bottom of the partition and it will be seen also that this liquid in moving upwardly passes the discharge opening 14: of the feed channel 12 so that'the material to be ltreated which is fed through the feed lchannel 12 is projected into the upwardly moving liquid in the ,treating chamber at an angle to the direction of How yofthe upwardly moving liquid.

It will be seen also that all parts of the apparatus are in hydrostatic and hydraulic communication at all times.

It will be apparent, of course, that if desired the channel 16 could be located outside of the tank 41 as well as the feed channel 12, the gist of this invention so far las theapparatus is concerned, being to feed the mixture to be treated and the liquid, whichy provides the kforce and is to effect the desired separation into the apparatus separately and to so locate the discharge openings of the feed channel with respecty to the upwardly moving liquid body that the material will be projected into the upwardly moving liquid body at an angle to thel direction ofmotion thereof.

Assuming now that the apparatus is filled with water, it will beapparent that water may be introduced into the apparatus through the channel 16 with sufcient head to force it upwardly through the treating chamber 3 to overflow at the top of the chamber, the water inthe settling chamber 2 although in communication with the chamber 3 remaining in a quiescent state. if the gate 15 be operatedto admit a mixture of the unclassified unseparated particles to betreated to the feed channel 12 this mixture will pass through the quiescent water in the feed channel 12 and be projected throughthe discharge opening la into the upwardly moving liquid in the treating chamber 3.

As l have above pointed out, the velocity of How of the Vliquid moving upwardly through the ktreating chamber 3 isso controlled and regulated that some of the particles of the mixture projected into it are carried upward and overflow with the liquid Gravity and the vertical and horizontal component forces of the liquid moving upwardly inclined fromL the vertical impart resultant forces to those particles of the mixture which do not overfiow at the topiof the treating chamber' forcing vthem to traverse or cross the upwardlymoving liquid, and topass `into the settling, chamber 2 through the openings 5 provided for that .purpose in the inclined partition 4f.

l claim:

1. The method which consists in projecting an unclassified unseparated mixture of particles through and in contact with a quiescent liquid body toV dilute the same and thereafter projecting the particles into an upwardly moving liquid body at an angle to the direction of motion of saidupwardly moving liquid body while so controlling the velocity and direction of the upwardly moving liquid as to cause the particles of one material to be carried upwardly with the upwardly moving liquid-body and the particles of the other material to traverse or cross the upwardly moving liquid and to pass out of the same.

2. The hydrodynamic method ofclassifyingand separating the particles of an unclassified unseparated mixture of.y particles, which method consists 4in passing the mixture into and-at an angle to a liquid body travelling vertically in an upward direction and controlling the velocity and direction of the .upwardly moving liquid body to cause the particles of one class ofmaterial to pass out lof the moving liquid while ioo the other particles arev passed olf with the scribed the combination of a tank, a parti settling' chamber, the area of the treating` chamber gradually increasing' from bottom to top, said partition being provided with openings tor the passage of material ,from

bei', a device projectingr into said treating; chamber and provided with. a eed channel through which material to be treated is fed to said treating chamber and means in direct communication with the treating chamber for forcing a liquid upwardly through' the treating chamber in a direction to et iteratively produce hindered settling'.

4. lin an apparatus of the class described the combination of a tank, a partition forl dividing the tank vertically into a treating;- chamber and a settling` chamber, said partition being provided with openings tor establishingcommunication between the two chambers at all times, a device in said tank provided with a feed channel for feeding material to be treated into said treating' chamber, means for forcing' a stream of liquid upwardly through the-treating' chan'iber past the discharge end of said iced channel and between it and said partition whereby material passed into the treating' chainber will he projected into and at an angle to a liquid body moving upwardly in said treating?,` chamber.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a tank, a partition therein for dividing the tank into a treating chamber and a settling chamber, said parti-` i tion being provided with openings loi' es-V tablishing communication between the two chambers at all timesa device ro`ectin0' into said treating chamber and spaced from the bottom thereof and from said partition, means for forcing a liquid upwardly through said` kapparatus and betweenwthe' the treating chamber to the settling cham- Y' side of said device and said partition7 said devicebeingg provided with a 'feed channel communicating with the treating chamber, opening` 'into the treating chamber a-bove `the entrance into the treating chamber of r the upwardly moving liquid.

6. .in an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a tank, an inclined partition therein for dividing,` the tank into` atreating chamber and a settling chamber,

` said partition beingl provided with openings oi' establishing communication be tween the treating' chamber and the settling chamber at all times, a device extending' VVinto the treating chamber and provided with means for forcing a liquid stream upwardly through the treating `chamber and with a feed channel for feeding; material to be treated to the treating chamber, said i'eed channel opening into the treating chamber above the entrance of 'the upwardly novinn' liquid .into the treating chamber, and a liquid in said apparatus substantially filling the same, all parts of the apparatus beine' in hydrostatic and` hydraulic com` munication.

rthis specification signed this 3rd day of March, 1922.

i'iinonoini missili. 

